


A Night Away

by AshTheFannibal (Nicestofthedamned)



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Couch Cuddles, M/M, Will and Hannibal are friends, stressed out Will, the start of Hannigram
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 09:51:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21408235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nicestofthedamned/pseuds/AshTheFannibal
Summary: The FBI requires Will to take courses and he has an exam approaching. He and Hannibal have a study date.
Relationships: Will Graham & Hannibal Lecter, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 4
Kudos: 36
Collections: Hannigram





	A Night Away

**Author's Note:**

  * For [APastandFutureNerd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/APastandFutureNerd/gifts).

> This isn't an alternate universe, but it's also not how it went in canon. I'd say it happened somewhere around season 2 IF Hannibal hadn't been a jerk and framed Will for murder and all of that fun stuff. A kind friend inspired this so I took a break from catching up on Kinktober to write smut-free Hannibal + Will making Hannigram.

Will wasn’t exactly pleased about the new standards that the FBI had put into place for special investigators. He already had to deal with the stigma of not being “real FBI” but now a new layer had been added on top of that one. To continue his classes and working as a special investigator he had to complete several hours of continued education and complete an exam at the end of each course. The past few months he had been working on his psychology course and the exam was fast approaching. He was still required to teach his classes and of course, Jack continued to put the pressure on him to assist in the never-ending cases that he was presented with. It was times like this that Will wanted to leave and take a job in an animal shelter and call it a day.

At the last red light on the way home his car decided that it was going to take a break whether this inconvenienced him or not. He turned the key and cursed every four-letter word that came to mind and then started to combine some of those for extra emphasis to his frustration. Completely exasperated Will tossed his head back against the headrest and stuck his hand out the window to wave the other drivers around him. He flicked on his hazard lights and laughed to relieve some of the tension that was building up even tighter. He was scrolling through his contacts looking for roadside services when a voice entered his window.

“Dog guy, Will, right?” asked a familiar voice. Will looked up to see a man that he recognized as a jogger that he had exchanged a few words with over the past couple of years. Temporary relief washed over him and he smiled.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m dog guy, Will,” he laughed “ I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name, but your dog is Junie, right?”

The man smiled even wider at Will’s recollection of his beagle. “Yep, Junie is my baby. Do you need any help?”

Will looked back into the mirror and waved another line of cars around him. “Yeah, I could use a hand getting off the road at least.”

“I can steer or push, you pick?” The man answered.

Will ran a hand through his hair nervously. “I’m fine either way, helper’s choice.” he gave the man another friendly smile and shot his eyes down getting anxious at the indecision.

“I’ll push,” the man said and quickly moved to the back of the car. Will put it in neutral and cut the wheel to direct it off to the side of the road. When he was over the lines and in a safer spot he threw the brake on and put it in park. He rolled up the window, grabbed his keys and locked up. He would come back with a rental to get his laptop and books.

“I can give you a ride home.” the man offered Will didn’t see any way around climbing into his neighbor’s car and accepting the ride, so he did. He’d call the rental company from there and a tow truck.

“That’d be great. I’m lucky you passed by.” Will said and walked back with the man to his car. When the car door opened haunting metal music escaped the vehicle. A female voice sang “Dark river flows, The wind will blow, Our fire will burn, Rise” The man laughed and flipped the volume down.

“Sorry about that, I hadn’t planned on having a carpool today,” he said

“It’s not a problem, it sounded pretty good, really,” Will said nervously

“Well, we’re almost to your place. It’s Lacuna Coil, if you want to check them out sometime. I’d say you don’t strike me as a metal guy, but I guess I don’t give people that impression either. “ he said with a smile. “I play a little guitar and bass sometimes.”

Will looked out at his car and shook his head at his poor luck. Soon they were at his drive.

“Ah, you can just drop me here, I’ll pick up the mail while I’m here,” Will said

“Oh, you have company.” the man said.

Will looked and saw the Bentley parked in front of his house.”Oh yeah, I forgot all about that, jesus.”

“A friend I hope.” the man said

“Yeah, he’ll run me into the rental place. Thanks a lot for the push and the ride home. If you ever need anything you know where to find me. I appreciate it.” Will said and the man pushed his hand out to shake Will’s. Will’s body went stiff and achy but he gripped the man’s hand back and shook it before hopping out and turning his attention to the mailbox. It was cluttered with sales ads and coupons for fast food he wasn’t going to be buying so he tucked it under his arm and walked up the drive.

Hannibal saw him in his rearview and climbed out of his car. He walked out to meet Will, impatient to learn why he was on foot and where on earth his car was. Will was relieved to see him there, even if he had forgotten their appointment with the situation with the car overshadowing everything else.

“Will,” Hannibal greeted him ‘what’s wrong? Where is your car?”

“Oh, it crapped out on me at the red light before my street. It’s off on the side of the road.” Will said and let out a sigh.

“Why did you walk? Why didn’t you call me?” Hannibal asked

“I didn’t think about that and then my neighbor… uhh… Junie’s… his dog’s name is Junie.” Will laughed and rubbed his face with the heels of his hands letting his fingers run over his lips before finishing “I don’t know his name. I still didn’t get his name. His dog’s name is Junie.

Hannibal watched Will fish for his keys in his pocket and gave his friend the slightest smile. Will’s love of dogs was something that he loved about him. Hannibal didn’t have that love of them himself, but he loved to see Will happily playing with his dogs, or petting their fur as they sat and talked.

“ I need to get a call into the mechanic before they close up for the day. Would you mind running me to get a car rental?” Will asked pushing the key into the door. His canine family greeted him with wet noses, wagging tails and happy yips. He petted each one and greeted them. He looked up at Hannibal with his glasses sliding down. He let them slip off into his hand and put them in his shirt pocket. He didn’t need the barrier of eyeglasses around Hannibal. It was easy with him. Hannibal watched Will continue his rounds and nodded.

“ Of course, Will,” he answered, “We can just have our study session after you get your rental car back here and get your car taken care of. “

Will’s eyes darted back and forth. “Christ, the exam, studying. That was why you were over here. My mind is such a mess, I forgot all about that. Will shook his head and dumped the junk mail into his trash can. He started to scroll through his phone looking for the mechanic’s number.

“Yes, I had offered to come and help you study for your psychology exam. Why did you think I was sitting in your driveway?” Hannibal asked cocking his head to the side.

“I had completely forgotten, but I was so relieved to see you that I didn’t care what the occasion was. “ Will said smiling and looking into Hannibal’s dark eyes.

Will pulled up the mechanic’s number and started to hit the call button. The line rang a few times before a voice on the other end startled him. He watched Hannibal walk out to his car while he gave directions to the answering service. Will looked around for a notepad to write out a note in case a cop came by before the tow truck removed his car. When Hannibal returned he had two grocery bags with him. Will looked at him confused.

“I was going to prepare dinner for us,” Hannibal explained Will nodded and pulled his lower lip into his mouth.

“The mechanic is going to get my car towed, hopefully in the next two hours. The rental company closes at seven, after that I’ll have to get one from the airport. “ Will says grabbing the back of his neck with his hand. Hannibal can feel the line of tension tightening even more and smell the bitter taste of anxiety swirling around Will as he begins to sweat it out. Normally it’s an unpleasant smell, but anything filtered through Will is a pleasant experience for Hannibal.

“How about this. You feed your dogs and let them out for the bathroom. We drop your car key off at the car or the mechanic if that’s better. Then we go to my house, I cook and you relax and then we study. You can stay at my place and I’ll drive you to get a car in the morning or I’ll take you to the airport location after we finish. “ Hannibal proposes the plan to him.

Will paces a few steps into the kitchen and out. “I’ll see if I can get their sitter to let them out later and then in the morning. She’s really good about last-minute calls,” he says. “He begins to pace again. “ I need to feed them and pack a bag.”

Hannibal laughs and puts a hand on Will’s shoulder. “Alright, let them out. Pack your bag and I’ll prepare their dinner. Where do you keep their food?” Hannibal asks

“In the fridge. They get six full scoops of the food in the beige container,” he answers as he walks to the door. Hannibal opens the fridge looking for a container of commercial dog food.

“I’m sorry, Will. I don’t see it,” he calls out over his shoulder.

“I make their food, it’s in that beige Tupperware,” Will says and disappears to pack his bag to take to Hannibal’s house.

Hannibal’s mouth turns up into a large beaming smile as he pictures Will standing over the stove preparing their meal with loving care. His feet bare, his curls a mess and talking to them all the while about what good boys and girls they are. He scoops out the six scoops and places it into a soup pot on the stove to heat it. He looks out the window and the dogs are spreading out for their potty break. They each take a space and then head back to the door to wait for the door to be opened by Dad or his friend.

Will returns with a black canvas bag and his phone at his ear. He explains the situation to his sitter. He drops the bag on the bed and goes to take over their dinner. He stirs it and hangs up the phone.

“She’s great. No matter how short of a notice she comes through and the dogs love her.” Will tells Hannibal as he stirs their food seeing that it’s heated through. Once the dogs are fed and kissed goodbye the two leave for the night.

On the road to Baltimore Will asks “so what’s for dinner, doctor Lecter?”

“chana masala” Hannibal replies

Will looks at him “ That’s what I used to have before exams back in college. I told you about that place that I used to go to study at, right?”

“Yes, that was why I thought to make it. You’re older and in a different situation but maybe the familiar smell and taste will put you in the mindset to excel on your exam. I don’t ordinarily prepare meat-free dishes, but my guest's preferences come first. “ he answered.

“You were going to cook that at my place. I wouldn’t have been a guest.” Will says

“No, I suppose I should have said a friend’s preferences come first.: Hannibal smiles as he responds to Will.

“ I don’t have any issues with eating meat, it’s just the place I went to during exam study sessions was mostly vegetarian and that dish was vegetarian,” Will said

Hannibal stopped at the red light and looked at Will “ noted, and stored away.” he smiled again and Will felt a tingle in his stomach. “ Now your car is on its way to be repaired, your canine family is in good hands and I don’t want you to worry about a thing the rest of the night. Can you relax when we get to my place, Will?”

“ I sure hope so.” Will sighs

The city lights lit up the last stretch of their drive and soon they arrived at Hannibal’s home. He showed Will to his room for the night and walked him into the bathroom. “You can connect your phone to the speakers if you like to listen to music or other audio during your bath. This cabinet has bath soak and salts. Please, use any soaps that you wish. I rarely have overnight guests and I’d happily restock anyway if you wished to use each of them. “ he stepped away from the door and into the hall. “Would you like a glass of wine or anything else? I’m just going to excuse myself to go and prepare dinner while you unwind.” Will looks at the size of the clawfoot tub and the variety of bath soaps and soaks and feels like he’s at a spa, a private spa just for him.

“No, I think I’ll just soak. This will be great,” he says softly looking into Hannibal’s face. Hannibal smiles, pleased to see the look on Will’s tired face shift to one of calmness.

“OK, I’ll be working on dinner. Let me know if you need anything. It’s going to be alright though, your car, the exam, everything. OK?” Hannibal assures him and leaves him to prepare his bath.

Will walks back across the hall to get his clothes and toiletries. With his phone docked on the speaker, he pulls some timber bath soak from the cabinet and opens it for inspection. He undresses and turns the dimmer switch down before climbing in and turning on his water. He pours the soak under the flowing water and scrolls through his music app to look for Lacuna Coil. Sure, it’s a little on the loud side but Will is used to finding comfort in chaos. Too much padding and he might think he is dreaming. He closes his eyes and dips himself back underwater

He tries to clear his head of the troublesome thoughts that are circulating but he can’t escape into the bath forever. Soon he will be facing the mechanics bill, the car rental, his exam, taking on a new continuing education course in a few weeks. Not only that but there is the case about the offender that is out there taking out twins. The cycle never stops, it only slows for moments like this. It only calms temporarily so that he can enjoy a night away. A night away that he only got because of his misfortune in his car breaking down, but a night away no less. The scent of firewood filled his nose and brought back happy memories of cooking fish over a campfire.

He laughed thinking about how this massive bathroom was merely a guest bathroom. This was one of the two-point-five baths of Hannibal Lecter’s home. He had nicer soaps in his guest bath than he ever had in his only bath. They were nicer than he had ever used at home. The contents of his bath were probably pricier than an average week’s worth of meals for him at home. He shook his wet hair and rested his head on the padded bath pillow.

Oh my god, Hannibal’s guest bath has a bath pillow? He thought to himself when he noticed that his skin was beginning to prune he pulled the drain and climbed out. The scent of his bath lingered out into the hall and the guest room. He continued to smell it until the familiar scent of his favorite Indian dish rolled into his nose. His stomach reacted immediately with a rumble, demanding that Will give it some of whatever his nose was taking in.

He entered the kitchen and Hannibal was getting wine glasses for the two of them. “Are you feeling better after your bath?” he asked

“It was very relaxing, thank you.” Will replied, “ can I do anything to help you?”

“You can take a seat at the table and let me bring your dinner to you, and your wine,” Hannibal replied. Will smiled and moved quickly, he tried to escape as he felt the hunger pangs working their way through him and wanted to avoid the embarrassment of a stomach interrupting their conversation. Will told himself the entire time to pace himself, but it had been hours since he had lunch and an eternity since he had a meal this tasty. His plate was clean before he realized it. The sight of Will at an empty plate was the highest compliment to Hannibal. He poured them each another glass of wine.

“ How did you enjoy your course in psychology, Will?” Hannibal asked

“It was interesting, a lot of it served as a refresher but there were some new lessons in there as well, “ he answered.

“You test in three days, correct?” Hannibal asked taking a sip and watching Will do the same.

“Yes, that was why I thought it was a good time to study with you,” Will replied

Hannibal hummed in response “ why don’t we move to a more comfortable location.” He motioned with his hand for Will to lead them out and into the living room. Will allowed himself to sink into the plush loveseat and Hannibal sat in the chair across from him.

“ Can I be honest with you, Dr.Lecter?” Will says with a lilt at the end of his question.

“You can always be honest with me, Will,” Hannibal answers.

“I don’t know what good I will be studying this material tonight. It’s been a particularly rough day and then I was thrown off with my car breaking down.” he drops his head and sighs.” I’m simply exhausted. “

“How confident are you that you will pass this test, Will?” Hannibal asks

“Oh, I do not doubt that I will pass it. I just hope that I don’t overthink my answers when it comes time for the exam. “ Will replies.

Will wasn’t the only one confident that he would pass his exam. Hannibal had no doubt that Will would pass and more than likely score a high percentage on his exam. He offered to come and help him study because it allowed him to spend time with Will. He was beginning to think that Will had the same idea in mind. He didn’t hesitate to get a sitter for his dogs when Hannibal also offered to take him to the airport rental location.

“Why did you accept my offer for assistance in your studying?” Hannibal asked him

“ I wanted to spend some time with you,” Will confessed.

Hannibal smiled and said, “you are always able to spend time with me, Will, how is this different?”

“ I was planning to tell you how I felt, at my place tonight. That way if you didn’t feel the same way you could take off like everyone else has. Will said in a solemn tone.

“Yet you are telling me here, where I have nowhere to go, and when you have no way to go if things went poorly,” Hannibal stated.

Will closed his eyes and released a sigh “ are they going to go poorly?”

“ No, Will,” Hannibal said relieving him of his growing anxiety. “I want to spend many nights with you. I want us to start with this one and I want to cook many meals for you, have an endless ongoing conversation with you, and be there for you when your car breaks down, when your hot water heater bursts and Jack has you in shambles.”

Will smiles and turns his head to the side, “Yeah, you’ve seen me at my worst already and you aren’t running.”

“One day you will see me at mine, and perhaps you won’t run,” Hannibal says back to him.

Hannibal gets up from the chair and moves to the couch “Join me?” he moves to the side to make a space for Will to climb into his arms. Will slowly lifts himself from the loveseat and takes a new seat between Hannibal’s knees leaning back into his chest. Hannibal pulls the dark red throw from the back of the sofa and covers Will in it. He leans his head down to smell the scent of his soak in Will’s dark curls and sighs taking him in. he kisses his calp and moves his head to place his hands in and massage Will’s scalp tenderly. Will tilts his head back and up and Hannibal brushes his fingertips over Will’s forehead and across his brows.

Will pushes himself into him, longing to be closer to him. Hannibal moves his fingers down to caress Will’s cheeks, and his nose, he moves his fingers over soft lips and his sparse facial hair. He gently rubs at his ear lobes and back to his scalp. Will allows himself to sink into the relaxation of his touch. He feels the weight of the past few weeks draining away from him as if Hannibal were pulling it from him with loving touches. His eyelids begin to get heavy and holding them up for any length of time proves to be impossible. Soon sleep takes them both.


End file.
